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Encyclopedia - Self-inflicted Wounds (SIW)

Self-inflicted Wounds - or
SIWs as they were known - comprised a highly serious wartime military
offence.

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Such wounds most often took
the form of rifle shots to the hand or foot, the aim being to effectively
disqualify the recipient from further front-line service. In the
British Army wounds which resulted in hospitalisation at home were often
termed 'Blighty
Ones' and thus sometimes perversely sought after.

While many - if not most - such self-inflicted wounds went undetected, the
consequences for the individual concerned were ominous should suspicions of
foul play be raised and confirmed by medical officers.

In an attempt to determine
guilt military authorities would strive to determine the type and nature of
bullet which caused a given wound - if the bullet was 'home grown', i.e. not
fired from an enemy weapon, then the outlook was dark indeed in the absence
of clear evidence to the contrary: if found guilty of a self-inflicted wound
in the British Army the ultimate penalty was capital, i.e. death by firing
squad.

In the British Army some 3,894 men were found guilty of SIW; in practice
none were executed but instead sent to prison for lengthy periods.